Two Minute Tip: Jessica Burgess

Jess Burgess is a long time and well-loved member of our club. She’s one of the nicest women you could meet and she’s a real rising start of the Olympic Skeet world. Jess is on the British Shooting Talent Pathway and has previously joined us for a brilliant inspirational ”How She Did It” interview. We are so grateful to Jess for her tip!

Which discipline(s) do you shoot?Olympic Skeet, occasionally sporting so I can keep revisiting how to read my targets!

How did you get into shooting?
I was fortunate enough to shoot with my Dad over 11 years ago to get me into the sport. However, I didn’t action any encouragement to compete from instructors until I left university. Not wanting to give up shooting, I started to explore opportunities through the Ladies Shooting Club where I discovered Olympic Skeet and the British Shooting Pathway. I’ve since found my coach, my grounds, my feet and I haven’t looked back since!

Biggest achievement to date:My most significant achievement was to make the Ladies Final at the British Shooting Grand Final 2018 and shoot a personal best when the year before I was the lowest scorer across the competition. I even made it on TV and YouTube! However, I have a feeling bigger achievements are yet to come and am looking forward to 2019.

Anyone you’d like to shout out to (coach, sponsors etc) :Accenture (my company) for being so accommodating of my frankly ridiculous shooting schedule. Nearly 70% of my annual leave goes on shooting/travelling to shoots alone and it is spread right across the year. Therefore, working with people who understand and can be flexible to this commitment has been a great bonusDavid Dale for being an excellent coach over the last two years. Every session I take away something new and he constantly inspires confidence and self-development in everyone he coaches. Cannot recommend him enough.Alexandra Skeggs who has kept me driving through all things Olympic Skeet as a superb training buddy. I kid you not, we have shot through snow blizzards, driving rain, scorching heat, domestics, internationals and in every possible weekend and late-night summer evening. Best learning to date, ALWAYS bring wellies. She will also be making her Team GB debut for the Al Lin World Cup 2019, which is absolutely fantastic – one to watch!Pip Watson for making sure I got the basics down for Olympic Skeet before I started on the Pathway. She taught me and inspired me so much, I won’t forget that without her I may not be where I am today.

What’s your big shooting goal?There would be no greater honour than to make the Olympics and represent my country. I feel I would like to give back what I have learnt from the journey too, which means representing at a competitive level enough times (won’t say how many)!